


Don't You Go

by J_Adams2002



Series: Criminal Minds Fics/Oneshots [5]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Murder, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationship, Religious Fanatic, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28812957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Adams2002/pseuds/J_Adams2002
Summary: Your parents are linked with four murders around town. However, things aren’t as rosey as they seem in your house...
Relationships: The BAU Team/Teen!Reader
Series: Criminal Minds Fics/Oneshots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112387
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	1. Don't You Go

You shift in the uncomfortable seat, your wrists aching from the handcuffs. You play with your hands, fiddling with the ring on your right hand, twirling it and shifting it up and down your middle finger.

You weren’t planning on being caught. Hell, you weren’t planning on stealing in the first place, but life has a way of twisting things and somehow pulling the worst from every situation. You just needed something to eat and drink.

The door opens and your head snaps up and two people walk in. There’s a younger, pale woman with blonde hair and an older man who’s more tan with grey, swept-back hair. They take a seat opposite you and the man opens a file.

“So, Y/N L/N, the only child of Sandy and Darren L/N. Do you mind telling us why you were stealing from the store?”

You sit back and sigh. You don’t say a word. The woman who asked the question huffs, making the older man place a hand on her shoulder.

“Okay, let’s try something else,” he starts. “JJ, do you mind leaving us for a few minutes?”

The blonde, JJ, nods and stands, leaving to presumably stand behind the one-way glass you’ve been staring at intently since you were forced into the interrogation room.

“My name’s Dave Rossi. Now, why did your parents hide you from us? I mean, surely you know your parents are under investigation…”

Your attention is grabbed by this, and though you try not to show it, Rossi picks up on the subtle shift in body language. “Wait, you don’t know?”

You speak up. “N-No. I b-barely see them.”

Rossi raises an eyebrow. “Is that why you were in the store, trying to steal some food from the top shelf?” He bites back a smirk as he remembers how you were caught—you were trying to reach the top shelf and fell into it, crashing to the ground and your backpack opening, spilling out stolen food.

“Look, I’m very small and I have no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that I am under,” you scoff out, still playing with your jewellery. Rossi leans forward a little, trying to close the gap between you.

“Don’t your parents give you money for food?” Rossi asks. You shrug.

“They spend it…elsewhere,” you reply and try to stop fidgeting. “I don’t see them, and they don’t tell me anything.”

Rossi nods and pulls something out of his pocket; a key. “They must hurt.” You nod and lean forward, letting Rossi unlock the cuffs. You smile a little, muttering a quiet ‘thank you’ before you rub your wrists, soothing them. That feels better. “Are they ever around?” Dave asks. His tone of voice has shifted from slightly harsh to softer, almost fatherly. You shake your head and Rossi sighs. He leans back. “Is there anywhere you can stay while we investigate your parents?” You shake your head again. “Okay. We can keep you here until the shopkeeper decides if she wants to press charges. We can make sure you’re fed, too.”

Rossi gets up and walks out, leaving you behind. He bumps into his team in the other room, who was watching through the one-way mirror.

“What are we going to do?” He asks Hotch. The unit chief sighs.

“The shopkeeper doesn’t want to press charges. Y/N’s known for stealing small amounts of food from shops around town. They tend to just ignore it since they know what their parents are like. I say we keep them here, make sure they’re comfortable at least, and then we can see what Garcia’s pulled up on the parents.” Hotch gives the rundown and the team nod.

Suddenly, his phone rings. He picks up. “Garcia? What have you got?”

He puts her on speaker. “Sir, it turns out Y/N’s parents are related to the distribution of heroin around the country and guess what? Three of our four victims were involved in it too,” she explains quickly, keyboard clacking in the background.

“And what about the fourth, baby girl?” Morgan asks.

“She knew the mother.”

“It did seem that the fourth victim was a more personal attack. She was stabbed five times more than the rest,” Spencer pipes up. Hotch nods.

“Okay, thanks, Garcia,” Hotch thanks and hangs up, turning back to his team.

“Morgan and Prentiss, I want you to go to the house with a warrant and search top to bottom. Check Y/N’s room, too. JJ, release a statement to the press that we want to find these two. Dave, you’re with me. We’ll search the town and go over the crime scenes, see if there’s anything the police missed. Reid, I want you to stay with Y/N. You’re the youngest and they’ll probably be less standoffish with you. Try and ask them some questions about their parents and the fourth victim. JJ, join him after.”

Everyone goes their separate ways and Reid goes back into the interrogation room. You look up and relax a little, seeing it isn’t the local PD.

“Hi Y/N, I’m Spencer,” the young man introduces himself. You nod.

“Hi,” you mumble.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink? We can get you pretty much anything,” Spencer asks. You think for a minute and nod.

“C-Can I have some…noodles, please?” You ask shyly. Spencer gives a bright smile and nods, quickly texting JJ to pick something up.

“Can I ask you some questions please?” The doctor asks. “You don’t have to answer any if you don’t want to, but it could help us.”

You think before nodding, messing with your ring again. “C-Can you…” You trail off.

“Can I?” Spencer asks.

“Do you have…something I can mess with, p-please? The ring’s hurting my finger.” Spencer nods and digs into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys and handing them over.

“They okay?” You nod. “Okay. Do you know Caitlyn?”

Silence. You’ve stopped messing with the keys. You nod. “How?”

“She…She’s my friend. She told me…” You pause. “She told me she’d help me get away.”

Spencer nods. “Get away from where?”

“My…my parents,” you finish, messing with Spencer’s keys again.

“Did your parents ever…come home with blood on them?”

You look down and nod. “When did that start?”

“Erm…” you think, “a-about a month ago. I wasn’t allowed t-to ask.” Your hands start to shake. “They…they…”

“Hey, Y/N? You’re okay. Everything’s okay,” Spencer starts to reassure you. “They can’t get you. You’re okay.”

You let out a shuddering breath and nod. Suddenly, the door opens and you jump out of his skin. It’s the blonde woman from before, and she’s holding a cup of ramen, steaming, with a plastic fork sticking up in it.

“Spencer? Hotch wants to talk to you,” she says. The young agent nods and leaves, letting JJ take his seat. She hands you the ramen and you give a grateful nod, slurping it.

“S-Sorry,” you mutter. JJ gives a soft smile and shakes her head.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind,” she replies. You nod and continue eating, only stopping to take a breath now and then. In five minutes, the food’s gone.

“W-Where is everyone?” You ask after a little while. JJ looks up from her phone, pausing the video you’re watching together.

“Well, Spencer’s with Hotch, and the other one you’ve met, Rossi, is talking with the police to see if we can get you a bed set up in here. It would mean you don’t have to go to the cells and you don’t have to sleep in that chair,” she explains.

“Hotch?”

“He’s our boss. His name’s Aaron, but Hotch is his nickname. Do you have a nickname?”

You shake your head. “N-Not really. My parents call me names, but n-not a nickname.”

“How about N/N?” JJ asks. You think about it for a moment, before a small smile breaks out on your face.

“I-I like that,” you mutter. “Yeah.”

“N/N suits you, kid,” a voice says from the door. You look up to see Rossi. He’s holding a folding camp bed in his arms. Behind him is a sterner-looking man with a blanket and pillow. “We’ve got you a bed. None of us want you to go to your parents’ house, and CPS can’t come until morning.”

You nod and lean back, playing with something in your hands.

“What you got there?” The other man asks.

“K-Keys,” you reply. His eyes narrow.

“They’re mine,” someone says; Spencer. “I gave them to them to play with.”

“S-Sorry. You c-can have them b-back. I’m s-sorry,” you stammer out. Spencer shakes his head and walks over.

“It’s okay. I don’t need them at the moment,” he reassures you. You nod.

Suddenly, radios flare up and almost everyone bolts out the room, leaving behind you and Rossi. Your eyes widen.

“W-What g-going on? D-Did I-”

“No kiddo, you haven’t done anything wrong,” Dave cuts in as he makes up the bed. “We’ve just had a hit on your parents…”


	2. Dancing With A Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year after your parents are charged with murder, you’re placed with a new foster family. However, your ‘mother’ isn’t the kind woman she appeared to be.

Three hours.

It’s been three long hours since everyone rushed out the room, ready to bring in your parents. The only person who stayed was Rossi, and he left half an hour ago to assist the local PD.

You sit there, messing with your fingers and playing with Spencer’s keys. They make a metallic sound, but you don’t mind—it’s better than the silence. The deafening silence that ups your anxiety and plagues your body with shakes. Where are your parents? Did they get them? What if they’re found not guilty? Do you have to go back into their care?

“Hi Y/N, my name’s Derek. You okay?”

Your head snaps up, pulling you from your thoughts to be met by a new agent. You haven’t met him before.

“Y-Yeah,” you mumble. “What’s happening with-”

The dark-skinned man cuts you off. “We’ve got your parents. You’re not going back with them.”

You let out a sigh of relief, running a hand through your hair. You don’t have to go back with them. Morgan goes to leave the room, but you stop him at the door.

“What’s going to happen to me?” You ask and the agent turns around. His eyes soften at the sight of you in front of him—you’re scared shitless. He sighs.

“Well, CPS are coming in a few hours and they’ll help find a family for you to live with,” he explains. You nod and go back to fiddling with Spencer’s keys. You need something to keep your hands busy, otherwise you get more and more anxious. The last thing you want to happen now is a panic attack.

You hope you go to a good family.

**—•—**

“N/N? CPS are here, kiddo.”

Your head lifts from where you had it resting on the desk to see the blonde from before, JJ. She has a look in her eyes, and you can’t quite decipher if it’s sadness or pity for you. Either way, you sigh and nod, getting up and following her outside. It feels ironic, almost; you were bought in for stealing, and here you are, leaving without parents and with your innocence. When you’re out there, you’re met with the team of FBI agents. They’re all looking at you, some with smiles, others with pity, and a new woman in a smart blouse and trousers stands there.

 _CPS,_ you think.

“Well, bye kid. Don’t get yourself into any more trouble,” Derek says, making a small joke. You give him a smile.

“No promises,” you reply, making the small team let out a laugh. Then, you turn to Spencer. The young doctor looks upset at your departure, but also hopeful. You dig in your pocket and pull out the set of keys, handing them back. “Thanks for letting me…use them.”

Spencer smiles. “It’s not a problem, Y/N. Actually…” He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, “I got you this. It’s a fidget cube, and something you can mess with so you don’t have to keep using your ring and hurt your fingers.”

You look up at him, and unexpectedly, wrap your arms around Spencer and pull him into a hug. Spencer freezes, unsure of what to do at that moment, before returning it.

“Thank you,” you whisper in his ear, and Spencer nods as you both pull away. A different agent clears his throat, and you look over at Rossi.

“CPS are here,” he says. “I’ll walk you out.”

You nod and follow the older agent out the bullpen and down the stairs. Your hands shake and you desparately fumble with Spencer’s gift. Dave looks down at you, an eyebrow slightly raised. Soon enough, you both reach the doors but before you can go to meet the CPS employees in the car, Dave stops you.

“Just so you know, if you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to call me, okay? It doesn’t matter the time, so long as it’s serious enough, okay?” He asks you, handing you a small card with his phone number on it. You look at it, then him, and nod a little. “Alright. See you around, N/N.”

He pulls you in for a hug before letting you go. He watches as you get in the back and the car drives off.

He prays you goe to a good home.

**—•—**

It’s been a year since the incident, and you don’t quite know how you’ve got yourself into this situation. But trauma does that to the brain—it plays with your memory.

After everything happened with your parents, you were moved into foster care. You were bounced around a little, before settling in Virgina with the Stevens. They seemed nice enough, but you soon learned that was a front for CPS. Behind closed doors, no one knows what happens. Never.

Six months you’ve had to put up with this. A religious nut of a ‘mother’ and a never-present 'father’. She believes that you will turn out just like your parents did, so she tells you that 'God’ told her to beat it out of you, before it got any worse. She often goes to the extreme, believing blood-letting is a good way to 'cleanse’ you of all the 'sins’ you’ve committed.

Her latest escapade came after you attended church, and you sneezed during a prayer. That’s when Mary believed the devil entered you, and now plagues you. She dragged you home by the ear and may have gone too far with the blood-letting, slashing at your arms, legs, and almost your neck.

That was the breaking point.

You ran. You ran so far away you hoped she wouldn’t come after you. And about an hour later, she hasn’t. And that brings us to now.

You’re stumbling through the streets of Arlington at half eleven at night, forehead gushing blood, as well as several wounds on your arms and legs, and a large bruise around your left eye. Many more litter your body, hidden by your white linen shirt or your jeans. You don’t know how much further you can go before you pass out and is killed by some psycho or you bleed out.

You’d prefer the first. It’d be quicker.

“Y/N?”

Did someone call you name? No, you must be hearing things. You’ve never been this close to the city before. No one would know you.

“Y/N?”

There it is again. It’s the blood loss. It has to be. The voice sounds familiar, though. Almost too familiar.

“N/N?”

Only two people called you that, and it certainly isn’t a woman’s voice. You turn around, vision blurred and breathing laboured. You can make out a figure; an older man. He’s in a jacket, you think. You’re not sure.

“Holy shit.”

The man’s running now and you can make his face out.

Rossi.

“D-Dave?” You ask as the man reaches hyoum. His eyes are wide with fear as they look you over. You don’t hear his response though, the blood loss and exhaustion is catching up with you, and before he knows it, Rossi’s catching you and holding you. He lowers you to the ground and pulls out his phone.

“I need an ambulance to Spring Lane Park, urgent. A kid’s been stabbed, a lot. I need help. Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Tumblr change-the-world-someday to get my fics a day earlier.


	3. Afterglow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rossi took you to the hospital, where things finally start to unravel…

Three days. You’ve been in the hospital three days.

And so has Mary. She’s watched over you from the small plastic seat in the corner, prayer beads in her hands. It’s all she’s done, prayed fo you. She refused to go home, so the hospital set up a temporary bed for her. She hasn’t used it, though.

 _They’re to be cleansed the moment we get out of here,_ she thinks. _Thinking they can run off like that._

Mary doesn’t like the man that visits. She doesn’t like the way he asks her questions, how he knows so much about your past, and how he questions her as a mother. His name’s Dave, or Mr Rossi as the hospital staff greet him.

It’s Thursday when you finally wake. Your vision’s blurry, your head’s pounding, and the stench is killing you. Bleach? Fuck, why’s the light so bright? And that beeping. You don’t have an alarm clock…

As you come to, you lift your head slightly. Recognition sets in your brain; hospital. You’re in the hospital. You didn’t die.

A figure in the corner sits up. “Y/N? Oh Y/N, thank the lord you’re okay! I knew that he’d save you, my dear.”

_Oh shit. It’s her. I have to leave._

The beeping picks up in the background as you sit up, ignoring the stinging over your body. You can’t be here with her. You have to get away. She’s going to kill you. Luckily for you, a nurse is walking by your room. He opens the door and walks in, calling for his partner. He appears at your side, shooing the mother away.

“Ma'am, please stand back,” he asks. Mary scoffs.

“Why? My child needs me,” she retorts. The nurse sighs.

“Ma'am, I’m just going to give a quick examination and make them more comfortable. We ask to do this without you here. If you don’t leave, I’ll ask security to escort you out.”

Mary huffs, gives you one last withering look, and stalks off. You let out a breath, looking up at the nurse, who’s tending to your bandages.

“Th-Thank you,” you mumble. The nurse gives you a look of sympathy.

“That’s okay, kid. My name’s nurse Finn. The truth is she hasn’t left in about three days.” Your jaw drops. “Yeah, she and this other guy don’t get along either.”

Confusion fills your head. “Guy? Which guy?”

“Mr Rossi,” Finn replies as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world. That triggers something in you, and you take a sudden intake of breath and become overwhelmed by emotion. Dave. Dave from the BAU. The one who helped you when your parents were arrested. The one who gave you his number.

The one who found you in the park.

“C-Can I ask you something?” You ask the nurse. Finn looks up from a bandage on your leg and gives a small nod with a smile.

“Sure. What’s up? Do you need me to get you anything?”

You quickly shake you head. “No, no. But, erm, can I choose who…who visits?”

Finn gives a quick nod. “Absolutely. If you don’t want someone in here, we can get them to leave. And vice versa. If you want someone here, we can call and request them,” he explains. “Though no promises they’ll come until later.”

“What time is it?”

Finn looks at his watch. “Half-five in the morning.”

You nod and play with your hands. The nurse looks up and lets out a sigh, moving to take a seat next to you. “Do you want us to call anyone?” You look over to the window into your room, where Mary’s standing, watching intently. You shift in your stiff cot and Finn seems to catch on. “The door’s closed. She can’t hear anything.”

You nod. “Can…can you call Mr Rossi, please? He, he was the one who found me,” you ask quietly. Finn gives a smile and nods, standing and heading to the door. Before he can open it, however, you stop him. “And…c-can you make sure n-no one else comes in? Unless Rossi brings someone.”

Finn nods. “Sure thing kid. Don’t worry.”

You nod, let out a sigh of relief, and lie back in the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, you try to drift off, but to no avail. Mary’s shrill voice pierces your ears just outside the room.

“They’re my child! I have a right to see them!”

You sigh. You can’t get away from her.

**—•—**

“Y/N? Topolino? Thank God.”

You look up to see Dave in the door, a bright smile on his face and a bag in hand. You return the smile as the man walks over, taking a seat next to you. He opens his arms for a gentle hug and you happily oblige. You lean and as you settle back to a sitting position, Rossi pulls out a container and a fork for you.

An Italian breakfast.

There’s a variety of pastries, and you go for a crostata. You give a glance to Rossi, almost asking permission, and Rossi nods, gesturing and grabbing one himself.

“So, how’s life?” You start, trying to make a joke. Dave chuckles and nods.

“Alright. We’re working with the police and looking for your attacker,” he explains. You nod. “How’re you feeling?”

“Erm, sore,” you say and nod. “I…don’t know. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

Rossi nods and puts a hand on your knee. “It’s alright to not know how to feel. You looked like you’d been through hell when I saw you.” He looks around. “Where’s your mum?”

Damn the heart rate monitor. It only betrays you as you try to mask the anxiety she brings. You shrug. “I, erm…I dunno.” Dave raises an eyebrow. “She didn’t come back in after the nurse came to check in on me.”

Dave nods. “Okay.” A silence falls over you two. “Is there anything you need to tell us? Anything? And you don’t have to tell me, either. I can call Spencer or-”

“It’s okay,” you cut him off. “I just…I don’t know. I mess up a lot and God wants to punish me.” You finish picking at your pastry, eating it in a bite. Rossi’s eyebrows furrow.

“What do you mean?” He asks. He doesn’t like where this is going. “Kiddo, God isn’t going to punish you for anything. You haven’t done anything wrong, unless you’ve murdered someone.” He lets out a light laugh, “and I doubt you’ve done that.”

You two share a small laugh before you go back to playing with your hands. “Well…M-Mary says th-that I need to-”

Everything hits you in the face. The beatings, the ‘blood-letting’, the constant torture. Your breathing picks up and your heart starts racing, complimented by the fast beeping of the monitor. Rossi’s eyes widen as he realises what’s happening; a panic attack.

Quickly, he pulls his phone out and calls his unit chief.

“Hotch, search Mary Powell. Find out where she lives and search the house. I think she’s the one that hurt Y/N,” he orders.

 _“Do you have any evidence?”_ Hotch asks. However much he’d love to just trust Dave’s instinct, that won’t fly in court.

“Well, considering Y/N just told me and they’re currently having a panic attack, I’d say that’s sufficient.”

Hotch agrees and hangs up, leaving Dave with you. Slowly, he places a hand on your leg. “Kiddo? Hey, it’s okay. I’m here, she’s not. She isn’t coming near you anymore. You’re safe. You’re okay.” Your breathing is still ragged, checking out of reality. “Topolino, I need you to breathe. You’re okay, you’re safe. I’m here. Everything’s okay.”

Slowly but surely, your breathing clams and you ground yourself in the present with Rossi’s help.

“Get some rest, N/N,” he says, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

**—•—**

It’s a few hours later when you wake again. This time, you’re greeted with Rossi and another man. He looks stern and in a nice suit. Hotch, you presume. You close your eyes again as you hear the two men talk.

“What are we going to do, Aaron? This is now two homes that have let them down,” Dave mutters with a sigh. Aaron nods.

“I…I don’t know, Dave. I don’t know.”

“Did we get her?”

“Yeah. She’s in custody now, and we’ve got enough so the DA can charge her,” Aaron explains. “We’ve got some of Y/N’s belongings, mainly their backpack and some of their clothes. I’ll leave so you can tell them when they wake up.”

 _Tell me what?_ You think.

You open your eyes as the door closes and look over at Dave. He notices you moving and smiles, sitting more alert and helping you sit up. Nurse Finn’s been in a few more times since they first time you met, changing your bandages and making sure you heal well. So far, everything’s on track for you to be discharged.

However, the doctor’s advised against a group home. You need to be alone and with someone who’s going to help you.

“Hey N/N, how you feeling?” He asks, handing you a cup of water. You nod.

“Okay. I don’t hurt as much, but that’s just the meds I’m on,” you reply. Dave nods and an awkward silence fills the air. Dave knows what he’s got to say. He has to tell you something.

“Hey Y/N?” He starts. You give him your full attention. “Do you know where you’re going to go? When you’re allowed out tomorrow?” You shake your head with a sigh.

“No. No one’s saying anything.”

“Well, I have an idea,” Rossi starts and takes a breath. “You can come and stay with me.”

Your eyes widen. “W-What?”

“I’m an approved foster parent, I’ve got the room, and I sure as hell don’t want you going to another shitty home,” he explains. “We can enrol you in the local high school, if you like, and if you want to go to college…well, we can cross that bridge when it comes.”

Your face brightens as tears pool in your eyes. You’re going to have a guardian. Someone who cares about you. Someone who’s going to look out for you and look after you.

“Y-You’re not a religious nut, are you? L-Like Mary?” You ask in a small voice. Rossi smiles and shakes his head.

“I’m religious, but no, I’m no nut. I’m not going to force you to go to church or anything. If you want to go, you can. If you don’t, I don’t mind. So, what do you say?”

He’s cut off by you leaning over and giving him the tightest hug you can manage.

“Thank you,” you cry. “Thank you.”

You’ve got a family. Sure, it’s not conventional, but nothing in your life is. And that’s okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Tumblr change-the-world-someday to get my fics a day earlier.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my Tumblr change-the-world-someday to get my fics a day earlier.


End file.
